The Body Guard
by Enchantedfan4life
Summary: Lani Price is working for Kristen DiMera on some questionable (illegal) business deals. As Police Commissioner, Eli Grant, must bring his former girlfriend to justice. I don't own any of the characters, etc.
1. Chapter 1

Lani Price sat in the darkened room swirling two fingers of expensive bourbon in a glass gazing up at the picture of Stefano DiMera. Both-the bourbon and reflecting on the painting-were habits that she picked up in the months she spent working for the DiMeras.

How many months had it been? Lani wondered and braced herself as the liquid burned going down her throat and into her belly. Lani immediately tried to stop herself from thinking about the past. David and David Abraham...and Eli all flashed through her mind anyway. She took another sip and stood, wandering to the window. She'd do another sweep of the grounds, then her team would set all of the alarms, check the camera's and call it a night.

Lani continued to gaze out of the window as ominous clouds took over the once blue sky. Her whole entire life was completely different than it was just a year ago. A year ago, she was in love with Eli Grant and working for the Salem PD. That is until she met baby David and her whole world just spiraled out of control. Now she just felt empty. Going back to Eli and the force was out of the question, so when Kristen approached her about a job, she could not think of one reason to turn it down.

Compared to serving and protecting all of Salem, protecting the DiMera mansion was a piece of cake. And so what if Kristen asked her to do a few questionable things. Lani had been a cop for years and learned a trick or two about how to break the law and not get caught.

"Come on, admit it, it feels good to be bad doesn't it?" Kristen inquired one day a few weeks ago after Lani obtained Victor Kiriaki's medical records from the hospital and delivered them to Kristen. Kristen planned on doctoring the information to say that Victor had early onset of Alzheimers. Then she was going to secretly leak the information to the rest of the Titan board. Victor would be voted out as chairman and forced to retire within a week.

Lani casually shrugged one shoulder. "Good...bad..It's all subjective isn't it?"

"You could say that," Kristen rose fluidly from the chair she usually occupied and walked to the bar pouring two drinks. "This file and what I plan to do with it are good for me, but they're going to wreak havoc over there at Titan. And the beauty of it is that our hands-yours and mine-wil remain completely clean. How will anyone on the Titan board explain how they obtained this information without potentially incriminating themselves?" She bought Lani's drink over to her as she stood in the living room. "Victor will be out on his old carcass giving DiMera Enterprises the first true advantage over Titan in years, thanks to you."

The feud between Titan and Dimera Enterprises did not interest Lani in the least. Kristen asked her to obtain the file from the hospital, and she knew she could easily get her hands on it and return it without anyone being the wiser. Of course Lani knew about HIPPA laws, but hadn't Valerie broken the law going through her medical records when she was pregnant with David Abraham? Just as she told Kristen: Good..bad...it's all subjective.

After making one last tour of the house and grounds, Lani gave overnight instructions to her skeleton night crew and thought about about going to bed early. Only she wasn't tired. She was actually hungry. When the cook served dinner earlier in the evening she was out interviewing a private security firm for a special event Kristen was planning. They'd need to at least double the team for the event. Since she missed dinnertime at the mansion, Lani thought about going to Doug's Place and the pub. She vetoed both as she did not want to take the chance of running into Eli and Gabi. Lani decided to just make a sandwich in the huge state of the art DiMera kitchen.

Lani had two sandwiches on a plate in one hand and fruit in the other when she was about to ascend the mansion staircase. Lightning lit up the sky and the lights flickered. Loud rolling thunder followed. Aside from the maid and the cook, she was in the house alone. Kristen was away on business. Not one to be easily spooked, but cautious, Lani went to make sure the tunnels were secure and that no one could get in or out.

Once in her suite Lani stripped naked and put on a white terry cloth robe before running a hot bath. She thought of Eli then and how he always teased her about her taking so long in the tub, meanwhile he was in and out of the shower in twenty minutes. Lani forced thoughts of Eli out of her mind for the second time that afternoon and probably the hundredth time that week. He was probably far happier with Gabi. After the loss of David and David Abraham, Lani just did not feel that she had any love left to give.

When the tips of her fingers began to resemble prunes, Lani emerged from the rose scented water and took her time drying off and applying a good but lighted scented moisturizer all over her skin. When she was moisturized from head to toe, she wrapped herself in a towel and went back into her bedroom to put on a nightgown.

The storm continued to rage as she stepped into the bedroom. A deluge of water ran down the windows and Lani was glad she decided not to venture out. Still wrapped in a towel, she walked over to the bureau and opened the top drawer. A small sound coming from the living room part of the suit caught her attention.

Someone was there.


	2. Chapter 2

Lani's first instinct was to go for her weapon, but she no longer carried a gun now that she was not with the Salem PD, Plus, it was probably nothing. She and her team checked the entire house and the grounds before she came upstairs. She listened again, but could hear nothing but the storm. Walking softly so as not to be heard, Lani walked to the doorway leading to the other room. Then quickly stepped inside to find Eli sitting in a chair quite comfortably as if he belonged there.

"This is private property and I have every right to blow you away for being here uninvited," Lani warned. " You're lucky I don't carry a weapon anymore."

"And you're lucky that I decided to talk to you first before I handed this in," Eli said holding up a thumb drive.

"What is that?"

"Footage of you accessing and stealing private medical records two weeks ago," Eli replied smoothly.

Lani gave a throaty laugh. "You're bluffing. There is no way you have such footage."

In one swift motion Eli was on his feet and directly in front of Lani. "Since you're no longer on the force, you're not aware that additional cameras were installed in the hospital. So imagine my surprise yesterday when I was reviewing footage of staff who entered and left a certain supply cabinet thinking I was going to catch an oxycotin thief the hospital has been trying to pin down. Instead I see you looking pretty damn shady going into Kayla's office."

"Oh that's your evidence? Lani scoffed. "Supposing you have this footage, which I don't believe you do, It proves what exactly Eli?" she asked still smiling. Lani was enjoying his closeness. Her heart might have turned to stone, but her body's reaction to Eli would never change. "Maybe," she touched his chest, feeling the firmness of his muscles, "I went to see Kayla because I had a cold. You know it's been a long, long time since I had somebody keeping me warm at night."

Eli caught her hand in his firm grip. "Yeah and whose fault is that?"

"Eli, let go of my hand. You're hurting me," Lani pleaded trying to pull away. Eli immediately let her go.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Eli started to apologize.

Lani threw her head back laughing. "You are the most gullible man I have ever met...Eli please let go of me," she mocked and snorted. "You should know that you weren't really hurting me. Our sex back in the day was rougher than that. But I guess you've forgotten. If you're here for a reminder then..."

"Go put some clothes on," Eli said walking back to the chair.

"Wait a minute you broke into my rooms while I was in the shower and you're telling me to get dressed. Do you think maybe your little girlfriend Gabi is going to find out and realize what you really came up here for? And it's got nothing to do with hospitals or medical records. You still want me. Just admit it."

"I'm here to stop you from further destroying yourself. I know you stole Victor Kiriakis' medical records for Kristen Dimera and she used them to get Victor voted off the board of his own company. Lani. You really want to be a part of that? You used to be a cop working with me every day side by side."

"I guess the old me found you to be very sweet," Lani replied cooly. "Right now I find you rather tedious. So unless you're here for nostalgia sex, I could care less what you have to say."

Just then a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and the lamps in the room flickered then went out completely. Lani gasped. For all of her bravado, and all that she'd survived this past year she was still nervous during thunderstorms and right now she hated that Eli knew this.

"It's okay," he said and turned on his phone's flashlight.

"I have some candles in the other room."

"Good, lead the way."

Lani turned then jumped when thunder shook the great mansion. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Eli noticed but she couldn't make out his features in the darkened room.

She went to a bureau taking out several tea candles and placed them on the surface. Matches were harder to find. "Eli can you shine the light in here, I can't find the matches," she said.

"Sure," Eli moved so he stood close, angling the beam of light from his cell into the drawer. This seemed so normal and so right. The two of them working together to solve an everyday problem. "Is that it there?" Eli said and reached for the lighter at the same moment she reached for it too and for a split second their fingers touched. Lani was grateful for the darkness. There was no way Eli could ever know how that tiny brush of their fingers made her feel.

"I can take it from here now," she said lighting the candles. "You can kindly show yourself out the way you came in."

"If I leave here now, it's to go straight back to the station. And I don't think you want me to do that. So get dressed and let's talk."

"I'll tell you what. If you want me to get dressed so badly, give me the drive first, then I'll get dressed."

"Now I find that very interesting. A minute ago you were saying that there couldn't possibly be anything incriminating on the drive, but now you want it?"

"Fine, I'm getting dressed but only because all of this rain made the temperature drop and I'm freezing." Lani found a nightgown and robe. She changed in the bathroom. When she came back out, Eli had lit a few more candles and was standing at the window watching the storm. Suddenly Lani remembered other storms at other times when he'd hold her, saying all sorts of comforting things. He would never let anything happen to her ever, he said.

Well, now she was taking care of herself. She did not need him anymore. In fact there were times she wondered what she saw in the man, other than his gorgeous outer physique and prowess in bed. Other than that he was a boring assed, one dimensional cop. Now Xander on the other hand had a master criminal mind that she so admired. He tried to sleep with her once after they did a job together for Kristen in Las Vegas. She was tempted, but in the end turned him down. She regretted her decision when he left town the next day. Who knows when an offer like that would fall into her lap again.

And here was Eli in her bedroom. Not sneaking out on his girlfriend. Not there for one last nostalgic roll in the hay. This do gooder was there to try to bring her back to "the good side" whatever that meant. As she told Kristen, "good" was a subjective term.


	3. Chapter 3

Eli turned to look at her. "Come here for a second or are you still afraid of storms?"

"I'm fine right where I am."

"You're still afraid of storms, aren't you," Eli said. From across the candle lit room, she could see him raise one eyebrow, challenging her.

"I don't like storms, doesn't mean I'm afraid of them."

"But I know you better than that."

"You know who I used to be."

"I'm supposed to believe that just because you work for Kristen DiMera that everything about you has change."

"Let me correct you there," Lani said evenly. "Everything about me changed before I started to work for Kristen DiMera. She didn't change me, Eli. It's about time you accepted that."

Eli's eyes raked over her from head to toe taking in her form fitting cream colored silk nightgown. Lani knew he was remembering how she used to dress for bed-shorts in the summer and tights in the winter. Lingerie had never been her thing. "How can you be all that much different," Eli said. "Aside from the way you dress and your current job, I think you're the same person you always were. Sorry but I'm not buying the whole femme fatale act. You'll never be Kristen DiMera 2.0."

Lani laughed and walked over to a chair far away from the window. "Is that what you think I'm doing, imitating Kristen DiMera?" She sat down and crossed her long, smooth creamy brown legs.

"You love decorating your home and wearing comfortable clothes. I know you're miserable living in this cursed mausoleum wearing…" his voice trailed off. "Wearing that."

"This? " Lani chuckled glancing down at her expensive nightgown. "What I'm wearing tonight is actually a very famous designer's original creation." She stood and pivoted until she made a full circle. The silken material hugged her body like a glove and she wore nothing underneath. In reality shorts and leggings were still her go to for bed. But with all of the money she was earning which included a clothing allowance, she splurged whenever the mood arose. And she purchased nightgowns, quite a few of them that remained untouched in her drawer. Finally Eli's nocturnal visit gave her a reason to slip one on. She cut off the price tag while she was in the bathroom with a pair of nail clippers. "Don't tell me you don't like it," she quipped.

"It's," Eli paused his eyes still taking in every silk covered curve of her body, "It's pretty, but it's not you. And isn't it impractical for the head of security for the DiMera's to be wearing something so...so see-through with Chad, Stefan and that snake Xander lurking around her all of the time?"

"I'm off duty and can do what I want in my own rooms."

"What if an alarm goes off and you have to act quickly. Could you apprehend an intruder wearing that?"

"Oh, I get it," Lani tapped a finger on her chin, "You're jealous. You don't want the men of the house to see me like this."

Eli turned back to the window staring out into the storm. "No, I don't," he said. Hs voice was calm, but Lani detected a hint of proprietary indignation. He really was jealous, she realized. The thought should have amused her. Kristen DiMera would be amused and then proceed to taunt him using his jealousy to her advantage. But as Eli pointed out, she was no Kristen DiMera 2.0.

"You have a lot of damn nerve," Lani said as her calm, cool and collected demeanor slipped right through her fingers. "How many times have I seen you and Gabi all over each other in public? At least I have the decency to conduct my relationships behind closed doors."

"There was a time you told me that you didn't give a damn what I did because you had other priorities. Now I'm starting to see the truth. You do care." Eli chuckled.

"I didn't say I cared. I'm sure everybody that sees the two of you wishes you'd get a room and not subject the rest of us to your over the top PDA. It's like you're both trying to prove something."

"You sound mad."

"Please," Lani sucked her teeth. "Mad because you're so desperate to be in love with anybody, you'd sleep with the woman who pushed your grandmother down the stairs."

"This reminds me of another conversation we had a long time ago about Sheila."

"Shela? How could this sound like a conversation about Sheila since you swore to me the at the time that you and Sheila were just friends?" Lani could hear the fear in her voice and she was quite sure Eli caught it too. He continued to gaze out into the darkness. The blackened sky lit up, but thankfully no thunder followed. Had Eli been untruthful to her? Did he have something going on with Sheila? Had their love been a lie?

"Come here," Eli said and held his hand out to her.

"Why?"

"You claim to have changed so much. You're this new person and you say you want me to leave you alone to face whatever consequences. But there are two things I'm thinking right now. First, you haven't changed. Deep down, you're still the same Lani. Secondly, you do care about what's on that thumb drive.

"So, I'll tell you what,'" Eli continued. "Come over here, look out at the storm. If you're so hardened and ruthless you should be able to look without flinching. If you can I'll give you the drive and walk away. I won't give you any grief again about working for Kristen DiMera."

"And if I play your silly game and happen to flinch, then what?"

"Then you leave here-with me."

"As you are aware this is my job. Like it or not I have a responsibility to the people in this house. Your cousin Abigail stays here sometimes, don't you want her to be safe?"

"I'm not saying abandon your job. Not the legitimate part of it anyway. You don't have to live in this place to be head of security. This place corrupts people. Mother Theresa would have started robbing banks if she lived in the DiMera Mansion. But anyway, what are you worried about? If what you say is true, you should be able look out into this storm and not blink."

"So what is it, am I not allowed to flinch or to blink?" Lani stood making sure her movements were as slinky and alluring as possible.

"No reaction."

"This is a stupid, childish dare," Lani slowly approached until she was standing next to him at the window. She willed herself to remain completely calm and unfeeling as the rain pounded the glass. The sky lit up again, but thankfully no thunder followed. Lani hoped that the storm was receding.

"It's not so much the thumb drive that I want," she said flippantly. "I want you to stop trying to convince me to be that so called 'good' person I used to be. Especially when we could be doing something so much more interesting." She ran her hand along his arm. "If you really want me to prove to you how bad I am, why not do it over there." She tilted her head referring to the huge king sized bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see trees being whipped to and fro by the heavy winds. The storm seemed to be picking up, not going away. She swallowed hard and tried again to lure Eli away from the window.

Eli reached up and gently guided her chin until she was gazing out of the window. Just then a flash of forked lightning split the sky. And for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity no sound followed. Then a loud BOOM rattled the windows and drove Lani, unable to hide her terror, right into Eli's waiting arms.

"I told you that I would never let anything happen to you," Eli murmured into her ear. For a long moment, Lani allowed herself to be held. It felt so good to be in his arms again. Being comforted by Eli brought back so many warm memories of when they were in love. The day he brought Miami to her and how they'd lie in bed for hours talking after making love. The afterglow for her lasted well into the next day.

Then along with the good memories, the nightmare came flooding back too. David Abraham, David, Eli breaking up with her, Jordan's return and Eli turning to Gabi and shutting her out for months. When she needed him the most, he was with Gabi helping her to mend her broken heart. It was true that Lani pushed Eli away when she was trying to take care of David, but she honestly thought taking care of David was the right thing to do. Now she knew "right" and "wrong" are subjective.

So there she was bereft and alone. David was with his real mother. He'd grow up and forget all about her. Rafe reunited with Hope. Eli was back with Gabi. Lani was invited to come back to the force, but she just didn't have the heart for police work anymore. She had no idea what she was going to do next. One day she was drinking alone at Doug's Place when Kristen DiMera waltzed in and said, "What is a kick ass not to mention beautiful woman like yourself doing drinking in a dump like this? You could be living in a mansion, jet setting to New York, Milan, Paris. That is if you worked with me."

Kristen gave her a job, a place to live, a new purpose and outlook on life.

Lani pushed away from Eli. "I don't need you or anybody else to protect me. As you can see, I'm doing quite well for myself."

"Or so you say, but I know you better, and from what I just observed, you have not changed."

"I have better things to do than go around and around in circles with you about whether or not I've changed."

"You're right. Get packed. I'll be waiting for you in the other room."

"And go where Eli? I gave up my apartment when I came here."

"You can stay with me."

"And be the new Sheila sharing a bed with you platonically while you have a girlfriend?" Lani scoffed. "I think not. I don't know about her, but I have my pride."

"I'd debate you on that considering who you're working for. I'll get you a room at the Salem Inn."'

"Look Eli, I will leave here. Give me some time to rearrange staff schedules and let everyone know."

"How much time do you need?"

Lani made a few mental calculations. "About three days."

"I'll give you two. If you're not out of here in two days, I'll be back, but next time it'll be to make an arrest. I mean it Lani. I won't sit idly by watching you and Kristen DiMera break the law." With that Eli left the room and disappeared. He managed to come and go without tripping any of the alarms. He was as intrepid and clandestine as Xander, too bad he was not as sinister, Lani thought as she climbed into bed.

"Don't worry Eli, you won't have to watch us break the law because we'll be out of the country in two days," Lani said to the empty room before she rolled over, fluffed her pillows and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Lani was at the martial arts studio trying to decide whether or not to practice with a weapon- hardwood bo staff, tapered square tonfas or nunchucks-or to simply take her frustrations out on a punching bag.

Thanks to Detective Eli Grant she could barely sleep a wink last night. She endured an endless cycle of falling asleep and waking up over and over. And everytime she woke up, she expected Eli to be by her side.

Then this morning she was distracted during a planning session with Kristen. They'd already gone over the Paris job ad nauseum so she wasn't so much worried about forgetting any details. Her job was fine. The issue was that she resented Eli for getting into her head at all. She had come to the studio to try her best to forget him and his empty threats. There was no way he had anything incriminating on the drive.

All she had to do was avoid him for a day, then she was off to Pari for two weeks. Maybe she would even stay in Paris. The DiMeras had offices all over the world.

Still thinking about weapons, Lani began stretching then moved right into her favorite warm up drills. When her drills were completed, she decided on her weapon of choice-the bo staff. She selected one from the wall and began to turn it in a helicopter spin above her head and figure eight in front of her. The staff spun so fast it was like a blur. She switched hands back and forth. Next were basic strikes. She planned to do a thousand of them, a hundred thousand of them, something mindless until her head was clear and she wasn't thinking of anything at all. Especially not Eli Grant.

Combining spins, strikes, kicks and full body turns Lani moved gracefully around the room with her staff for the better part of an hour. Then suddenly she felt someone was watching her. After completing one final dizzying turn, Lani landed on one knee dramatically stabbing the staff into the matts underfoot as if it were an unfortunate opponent. Panting for breath from all of her exertion, she looked up to find Eli standing near the weapons rack, dressed in black karate gi. He bowed low to her and Lani felt her staff slip from her hand and drop onto the matt covered floor.

"Ouch," Eli said as he stood up straight again. "If that was intended for me-I felt it."

Of course, just her luck. The main person she was trying to forget shows up the minute she managed to push him out of her mind. "Why do you think," Lani said still breathing rapidly, "That everything is about you." She picked up the staff and walked past Eli to put it back on the wall. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You don't usually come here on Wednesdays." Eli moved to the matt and began a series of Taekwondo movements.

"How do you know that? Have you been following me?" Lani stood near the wall watching Eli remembering when they used to come to the studio together. While she brought dance and beauty to martial arts, Eli had power and raw strength. Both of them could seriously harm an opponent with their bare hands. Lani knew she was lethal with the staff.

"Nope, I used cutting edge detective work to figure it out. I look at the sign in sheet when I come in on Thursdays."

"Ahhh...so you've been coming in on Thursdays trying to avoid me?"

"Considering our history, I tried to make sure our paths didn't cross here."

"You should have kept that up and made sure we didn't run into each other today."

"Today is intentional" Eli said. "I wanted to remind you the clock is ticking. You have until tomorrow to move out of the mansion or what we talked about might happen, will happen. I'm not playing around Lani."

"How about this," Lani responded stepping onto the matt. "I'll fight you for the drive."

Eli stopped moving, gave her an incredulous look and snorted "You think just because you've gone over to the dark side, you can beat me."

"I know I can." If she couldn't forget him, the next best thing was to kick his ass or at least attempt to.

Eli placed one foot in front of the other and angled his body so that he was not longer directly facing her. He lifted his hands into loose fists in front of his face assuming a classic martial arts fighting stance "It's been awhile, Lani Price," he said. "Let's see what you've got."


	5. Chapter 5

Lani stepped onto the mat, approaching Eli with slow determination. Giving him a wide berth, she circled him twice. He was bigger and stronger than her. But a bigger body also posed a few problems.

"Any day now," Eli said with a grin as he pivoted to keep track of her movements. "Or are you getting cold feet?"

"I'm catching my breath," Lani replied as she continued to size him up. Should she go high, aim for his midsection or knock him off balance? "So," she said with a saucy smile, "what did Gabi say when you left my room so late last night and jumped into bed with her?"

"Maybe Gabi isn't as suspicious as you are. Maybe we have this thing between us called trust."

Lani tried not to be offended and continued to focus on Eli's physical form as he executed a few harmless kicks and jabs hitting nothing but air, just warming up. "Yeah, maybe, but I doubt that's true. Remember that night. When was it? December I think, around the holidays. In 2017."

Eli stopped moving. "Why the hell would you bring that up?"

For a split second Eli let down his guard and Lani took full advantage, pivoting on one foot, she turned her body away from him, while still looking over her shoulder, she delivered a back kick, extending her incredibly long leg and snapping her foot as it came within a hair's breadth of connecting with Eli's gorgeous face. He leaned back just in time to avoid the powerful blow.

"So I see you're fighting dirty," Eli said as he tightened up this defensive fighting posture once again.

"How is that dirty? Don't blame me because you let your guard down just now and on that night a few years ago." She came at him again, this time with an intricate combination of strikes and kicks, all of which Eli blocked, except for one roundhouse kick to his midsection.

"You're really trying to hurt a brother?" Eli said, rubbing his stomach."You're going to pay for that."

Lani backed up several paces, laughed and said in a mocking singsong voice "wasn't that you in my bedroom last night, holding me in your arms telling me you'd never let anything hurt me."

"I never said I was going to hurt you, Lani," Eli said looking up at her while his hands rested on his knees. "I said I was going to make you pay."

Eli rose to his full height and began to walk toward her. Lani quickly regained her defensive fighting posture and did not back away though she wanted too. The dangerous gleam in Eli's eyes both excited and terrified her. As he drew near, she extended her right leg in a lightning fast series of kicks aimed at his head and midsection. He ducked or dodged them all without much effort. He kept advancing until Lani found herself practically back up against a wall on the far side of the studio. She spun away from him and somersaulted several times until she was in the center of the room again. She jumped to her feet.

And Eli was right there practically in her face. While she had grown stronger since the last time they sparred, he had grown much faster. But due to her dance background she would always be more agile. She looked to his left and to his right, to make him believe she was going to attempt to run by him. Instead she executed a back flip, complete with a double kick to Eli's chest that left him sprawled on the ground.

"Ha!" Lani declared when she was back on her feet again. "That'll teach you to underestimate Lani Price." She thrust two fists in the air and danced like Mohammd Ali. "I float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee….Eli...Eli…" Why was he just lying there not moving? She didn't kick him hard enough to do any serious damage, did she? Maybe she didn't know her own strength anymore.

A year ago, a kick like that would have knocked the wind out of him a bit, but that's it. Now he looked straight unconscious. She was on her knees next to him patting his cheek. "Oh my God, Eli, are you hurt? Can you hear me?" The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back and Eli was on top of her grinning in her face like the cat who had just cornered the canary and was about to devour her for dinner.

* * *

"Eli, get off of me. You're crushing me," Lani panted and tried to push Eli's shoulders. The man did not budge an inch.

"Hmmm...wasn't it you who told me just last that because I know you. Intimately," he whispered close to her ear, "I should know if I'm hurting you...or not. I don't think I'm hurting you."

"I can't breathe with you on top of me."

"Oh, so how did you manage to breath all of those other times I was on top of you? And there were alot of other times. Remember?

Lani closed her eyes trying to block out the memories of their love making-hours and hours of being in a very similar position as they were in right now. "That was different," She bit her lip and squirmed with all of her might trying to throw him off of her or to slide out from under him. But she was trapped. Pinned under Eli's six feet two inch frame. And he was enjoying her vulnerability.

She pounded on his shoulders with closed fists to no avail. "Since when did you become such an insufferable brute?"

"Probably the same time you did," Eli quipped..

Lani tried again to move her body from beneath him. When she wriggled her breasts against his solid chest, her ultra sensitive nipples hardened into turgid peaks. A shock of pleasure ran through her. She gasped.

Eli noticed. He pulled back to look deep into her eyes, their faces just a few inches apart, their bodies still melded together, almost as one. Common sense told her to lie still until Eli bored of this game and let her go, but instead she kept trying to move. The more she moved, the more friction she created between them and her emotions began to betray her. Eli's weight alone kept her pinned helplessly underneath him. He was not holding her in any other manner-except he still possessed her heart.

"And what is the point of this?" Lani turned her face away from him. She could not bear to see the longing in his eyes. And that was because she felt it too. But for different reasons. Eli did not want her as she was now, he wanted the old "good" Lani. Despite his rejection, she wanted him as desperately as ever. Eli was right. Part of her had not changed. Still she would never give him the satisfaction of knowing it. He made his choice.

Lani turned her head back to face him, her emotions in check. "Eli," she said in the coolest voice she could muster. "if you want to creep around on your pathetic little girlfriend, I told you last night I was open to nostalgia sex-under certain conditions. One of them being that you leave me the hell alone."

"First I'm not going to stand by while you self-destruct. And second, there is no way I would make love to you in that den of iniquity otherwise known as the DiMera mansion," Eli said. "I'd rather make love to you right here."

Panic immediately filled her heart. "Have you lost your damn mind?" She began to struggle against him again. In a desperate attempt to buck him off of her, she spread her legs to gain leverage against the floor. That was a huge mistake.

As soon as her thighs opened, Eli moved smoothly in between them and unfortunately muscle memory caused her to wrap her legs around him until she realized what she was doing and slammed her feet back on the floor. "Now, this is much more comfortable wouldn't you agree?" Eli asked. "Too many clothes but comfortable." He rested on forearms looking down at her.

Lani couldn't lie, even to herself, Eli on top of her in the classic missionary position with his weight more evenly distributed felt so right! She had to fight the strong impulse to grab his face and start kissing him. She missed him so much. All Eli wanted to do was reform her. Now this fight turned bizarre wrestling match was his latest attempt. Oh and his blackmail scheme in relationship to the drive, which probably didn't have a damn thing on it.

"I can't say it's unpleasant," Lani adjusted her shoulders. "But I'm sure your girlfriend wouldn't exactly appreciate you behaving like this with me, Eli."

"For a second there it sounded like you cared."

Lani didn't respond. She just stared up at him trying hard not to get lost in his warm brown eyes framed in spikey black lashes.

"You know," Eli drawled as he leaned away from her a little more. "We talked about what you get if you won the fight, but," his eyes lowered from her face to her breasts then back up again. "We didn't talk about what I get if I won."

"Eli, would you really have sex right here in the middle of the studio?"

Eli shrugged a shoulder. "Depends on if I had a willing partner."

"Do you know how many laws you'd be breaking if you got caught since this is a public place and anyone could walk in at any time just as you did? Let's see public nudity, public lewdness, indecent behavior, disturbing the peace. Then add to that you're a cop and it might even make the papers…"Lani's voice trailed off as a strange look crossed Eli's face. And all of a sudden she realized what he must be thinking. She sounded like the old Lani rattling off a list of broken laws to a perp in the interrogation room.

"Lani?" Eli said, his voice quavered with emotion. His eyes bore into her as if trying to peer into her very soul. And Lani could not deny the feelings he conjured up in her by saying her name as he did just then. He stroked the side of her face. For a split second she thought of taking advantage of his vulnerable state to get from under him, ending this silly game, but when Eli's mouth sought hers, she found herself kissing him instead. Deeply and passionately.

Despite the fact that Lani teasingly brought up the idea of nostalgia sex just the night before, the kiss today was a complete surprise. Hot nostalgia sex was an oxymoron anyway. Nostalgia was sweet, whimsical and comforting. Eli's hand slipping inside the top of her white karategi had the opposite effect. She was not calmed, rather his touch lit a match that was about to set her entire body on fire. Their lips remained joined together for what felt like an eternity and yet no time at all. His tongue stroked languidly all around inside of her mouth and she welcomed him, her own tongue caressing his with fervor as her fingers dug into his shoulders possessively. This was her man still. No one and nothing else could change that. Ever.

Eli rolled them over so that she was on top of him and Lani understood why. He was giving her a chance to escape if she wanted to. But she didn't want to. She sat up still straddling him, then grabbed the lapels of his black karategi and pulled him up until they faced each other. Eli buried his face in the crook of her neck kissing her and murmuring her name all while deftly untying the black belt she earned through years of work in the martial arts. One of the reasons Krsten DiMera hired her was because she knew of Lani's facility for hand to hand combat. Kristen set up jobs in many countries that did not allow firearms, so this was an essential skill. To date Lani had put quite a few grown men out of commission who tried to do harm to her boss. And she accomplished this with her bare hands. It was her job.

Lani was a fighter-the best-yet Eli just defeated her in more ways than one. With one smooth motion he pushed the jacket of her karategi from her shoulders revealing a black lace bra. At the same time the top knot securing her hair came undone and her reddish auburn mane tumbled down over her naked shoulders. Eli stared at her as if transfixed, "You are so beautiful," he said before locking his lips onto hers, cupping her face in the palm of his hands.

Eli traced circles with his fingers down her throat and over her shoulders while they kissed. Lani's hands were also busy as she untied the belt of his black karategi and opened the jacket. Eli shrugged it off so that he was now naked from the waist up. Lani's forearms remained inside of her jacket until Eli pulled it away from her.

Lani broke the kiss. "This could get you into a lot of trouble Detective Grant." She was not only thinking of his job, and reputation, but also about his relationship with Gabi. He was risking so much to be with her right now, but why?

"Do I look like I care?"

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Lani asked. She had nothing to lose if caught in a tryst with Eli while in Salem's martial art's studio. A misdemeanor charge and a fine she could easily pay. So what? But he would jeopardize a job and a relationship he coveted. For a second her mind flashed to Eli and Gabi expressing their affection for one another so publicly. How dare he allow anyone else touch what was hers? She dug her nails into the flesh of shoulders without breaking any skin and hoped they would be discovered. "Not that I mind, it's just…"

Lani's words were cut off when Eli returned them to their original position with him on top. "Are you really concerned about me Lani?" He reached down to untie the draw string holding up her karategi pants.

"I'm with you half naked in a public place where anybody could walk in. That's a silly question, don't you think?" Lani smirked running her hands over Eli's pectoral muscles, feeling his nipples harden when she pinched them. If she was going to feel emotionally overwrought, she might as well get some pleasure out of it. She lifted her hips when Eli started to tug her pants off.

When Lani's pants reached her calves she kicked them off so she was left with nothing save for her black lace bra and matching panties. Eli leaned in and placed a soft lingering kiss on her abdomen. Then trailed more kisses up her body, between her breasts, over her throat, until his lips found hers again. His tongue snaked out into her mouth. She allowed him entrance moaning at the intrusion. Relentlessly their tongues dueled and tangled together.

Just how far was he going to take this? Lani wondered as her arousal heightened. Even before her association with Kristen DiMera, Lani was the risk taker. She was down to jump out of airplanes and to make out at the station with cameras watching. Eli, on the other hand was conservative by comparison. He worried about propriety and how things looked to others. He wanted to follow all of the rules to the letter. The man she knew would never do something like this.

Unless it served some purpose.

Lani grabbed both sides of Eli's face and shoved him away from her. "Why are you doing this?" She demanded barely able to speak as her breathing was now basically feverish panting.

Eli stared into her eyes, "For the same reason you are." His mouth dropped back onto hers and they were kissing again.

The kiss was so passionate it bordered on desperation and Lani's mind and body were going in two separate directions. In the deep recesses of her brain she knew she would regret this impromptu shag, but when Eli's hand slid down her side, over her hips along her thighs and then back up and inside of her panties, she felt like a slave to her body. Regrets be damned.

His talented fingers teased and tormented her most tender and sensitive parts. And unfortunately, he remembered exactly how to touch her, as if they had been together just last night.

"Mmmm sticky and sweet as always," Eli said his voice growing huskier indicating his own arousal. Lani untied his pants and reached inside of his boxers to take hold of his growing erection. He felt so familiar like steel encased in silk. Eli groaned into her mouth, but never stopped kissing her, his lower body jerking almost uncontrollably as she moved her hand along his shaft. Lani relished her power over him. No other woman could evoke such a reaction from him. But he had been with another woman for months. And that was an undeniable fact.

At the exact time Gabi entered her mind Lani's phone, which was in her bag on the other side of the room,, began to ring. The ringtone indicated Kristen was calling. Lani broke their scorching kiss, removed her hand form Eli's pants and sat up. Eli sat up as well and wrapped her in a bear hug. "Let it ring," he said into her ear.

"I can't." She shrugged out of his hold, stood and ran on wobbly legs to answer her phone wearing nothing but her underwear.

* * *

By the time Lani reached her phone it stopped ringing. Kristen was obviously wondering where she was. Lani looked at the digital readout on her phone. The final planning meeting before the Paris job was scheduled to begin 25 minutes ago. Eli distracted her that much.

Kristen was not going to be pleased, but it would be the first time Lani was late for anything since she started to work for her. And now was the absolute worst time to mess up. The Paris job would net two million, of which Lani would rake in $350,000. The rest would go to Kristen, Xander and others they had to pay off. This was not enough to live on for life, but along with the money she already saved, she'd be able start over somewhere-away from Salem.

"I have to go," Lani said to Eli, not meeting his eyes. She did not have to look at him to know he was glowering at her from across the room. Then he was right by her side holding her elbow.

"You don't have to do Kristen DiMera's bidding"

Lani gently but firmly pulled her arm from his grasp. _Eli, this is goodbye_, she thought. Outloud she said, "I won't be in the mansion after tomorrow as I promised. Can you be satisfied with that? Now I do have to go."

"After what just happened between us just now, I'm nowhere near satisfied. I know you still want to do the right thing."

Lani touched Eli's face, then she noticed something behind him. Down a short hallway leading to the room, there was a door that usually stayed open, but today it was closed-and if she was not mistaken latched. She walked past Eli down the hall to confirm. Sure enough, the door was locked from the inside. Lani pulled the latch and turned to Eli.

"And here I thought we were taking this giant romantic risk by being together just now, but you had the door locked the entire time." Lani shook her head. How could she have been so idiotic to think Eli would risk anything for her?

"And now that it's unlocked, you need to put your clothes back on."

"See, that's the thing I don't give a damn who sees or knows and for a second I was stupid enough to think you felt the same way."

"I wanted to talk to you without being interrupted but I didn't plan for the situation to go in that direction," Eli explained. "But under no circumstances would I expose you to all of Salem or anybody who happened to walk through that door."

"When will you get it through your thick head," Lani was practically shouting. "I don't need shielding. I don't need to be protected. I can take care of myself if you would just leave me the hell alone!"

"Hey is everything okay in here?" John Black opened the door and stepped inside the room wearing his white karategi and black belt. "Whoa," he exclaimed after getting an eyeful of Lani in her underwear and a shirtless Ei standing practically nose to nose arguing. 'I've been away for a minute, they must have changed the rules of engagement while I was gone," John said, then turned on his heel and left.


	6. Chapter 6

That evening Lani emptied several of her drawers, laying her clothes out on the bed. Aside from her lingerie collection and a few dresses for special occasions, her wardrobe had not changed much since she was a cop. Black pants with a jacket, very simple yet stylish. She kept things uncomplicated so she could dress in a hurry, a trait Eli always admired after dating the high maintenance proprietor of Gabi Chic. Lani doubted Gabi primped any less so obviously it didn't bother Eli all that much since they'd been together for probably close to a year now.

Why was it that her thoughts never strayed far from that man? Lani forced herself to focus on the job in front of her. After Paris, she wasn't sure where she was going. She wouldn't be returning to Salem, that was for sure. Not with Eli constantly in her thoughts and on her tail-figuratively and literally as of late. There was a chance he really didn't have footage of her stealing Victor's medical file. Either way it was a matter of time before something happened now that he was paying more attention to her. Leaving was best. She'd miss her dad. But she'd meet up with him in South Africa.

Now there was a thought, she'd go to South Africa after Paris and stay with Theo until she figured out her next steps.

Lani laid out all of her beautiful nightgowns, then picked one, a black negligee and held it up.

"Wearing that to bed while you're on duty isn't very practical," a voice said from behind her.

Lani whirled around to find Eli standing in the middle of her bedroom.

"Eli, why in the hell do you keep sneaking up on me? Have you never heard of a doorbell?" Lani huffed then turned back around quickly to hide the smile spreading across her face. She thought the fiasco at the martial arts studio would be the last time she ever saw him. But here he was in her room, again.

"I can't exactly waltz into the DiMera mansion and talk to you can I?" Eli responded.

Lani continued to fold her clothes. "What do you want Eli? I thought we said all we had to say earlier today. As you can see I'm keeping up my end of the bargain. I'll be leaving the DiMera mansion for good first thing tomorrow morning." _And I'll never see you again_, she thought and a lump began to form in her throat.

"I came here to give you something."

"What is that?" Lani made her voice sound nonchalant, even as her heart beat faster remembering all of the gifts he'd given her when they were together, the main one being an engagement ring. That was a long time ago and so much had happened since then. But maybe there was still a chance. He was in her room for the second night in a row, after coming to see her at the studio. Lani quickly reeled her emotions in before they got away from her. The man loved Gabi Hernandez, not her. They both got carried away at the studio. It meant nothing, she told herself.

"This."

Lani turned to look and in Eli's hand was a thumb drive and it looked like the same one he was threatening her with the night before. She was on him in a flash, taking it out of his hand. "Is this the supposed footage?"

"It's the actual footage. If you don't believe me look for yourself."

Lani wasted no time in grabbing her laptop and inserting the drive. Eli hadn't been lying. The footage was somewhat grainy, but she was clearly recognizable. Tan jacket, dark pants. At one point you could see her profile as she glanced left then right before going into Kayla's office. The video was even time stamped. She emerged a minute later. Lani knew the file was hidden under her jacket, but the footage showed her carrying her pocketbook which was not big enough for an entire file.

"Circumstantial and proves nothing," Lani said.

"It's enough for probable cause. I could arrest you as a co conspirator in corporate espionage if I wanted to, but that's not the point really. You were caught by cameras you had no idea were even there."

He was absolutely right. She'd been sloppy that day. It was a day when she'd seen Eli and Gabi at the pub, sitting together, smiling and happy. What other mistakes had she made during the same time period? She was back on her game now that she'd accepted Eli and Gabi were committed, but when she was still sad and angry...there might be evidence linking her to other crimes all over Salem. Yes, she definitely had to leave town for good. If Eli wasn't on her case, she could probably get away with it all.

"I would think if you came here to arrest me, you wouldn't slip into my bedroom. So if you don't mind detective, I'm going to finish up my packing." Lani closed her laptop.

"Packing for what? You have the footage and I'm not going to charge you with stealing Victor's medical files from the hospital. So why would you leave the mansion?"

_And why would you give me the footage_, Lani thought. Eli sat in what she was becoming to think of as "his" chair. His facial features gave nothing away. There is no way he could possibly know about the Paris job, could he?

"I'm doing what I said I'd do," Lani zipped open a suitcase. "I told you I was leaving the mansion, so I'm going."

She heard Eli move from his chair and come closer to her. "Lani, don't do it."

Lani forced herself to calmly fold clothes and place them into the suitcase. There is no way he could possibly know about Paris. No way. "First you want me to leave, now you don't. Could you make up your mind, already."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Eli said his voice directly behind her. She turned and looked up at him fear gripping her heart. If Eli found out about the Paris job, the deal was screwed and she was out 350,000 and most likely her job. Kristen and Xander would blame her if Eli had somehow found out about the details of their plan and sabotaged them.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lani said meeting his steady gaze.

Eli reached out and curled his fingers around her shoulders yanking her toward him until she bumped up against his chest. Then he held her there, so close they could kiss. "Who is all of lingerie for? Who are you moving in with Xander?"

For a second all Lani could do was stare up at him completely stunned. Then it dawned on her, Eli was jealous. Relief flooded through her. He didn't know about the Paris job. "I'm not moving in with Xander, but so what if I did?"

"I won't stand for you living with that thug. It's bad enough that he's always here stirring up trouble with Kristen."

Lani's glance dropped from Eli's eyes to his mouth. She could tell he was mad as his lips pressed together into a grim line. But she didn't try to pull away from him. This was the last time she'd ever see him. The last time. "You know you've got a lot of nerve standing here in my bedroom, dictating to me who I should and shouldn't live with. Where does Gabi think you are right now anyway?"

"If you're comparing Gabi to Xander, there is no comparison," Eli shot back. "She's not dangerous."

Not dangerous. Lani smirked back at Eli as she remembered what she went through for the first several months of seeing them together. The pain was so palpable that every night when she went to bed, she was shocked when she woke up the next morning. Then time passed-alot of time-and she realized she would live through this, but the life she once had was now gone.

"You're going to defend Gabi in my bedroom after what happened between us today at the studio? I should say what almost happened. John Black saw me practically naked because you took off my clothes." Lani was trying to control her temper, but she was losing the battle. Eli did not loosen his grip, continuing to hold her against him.

"I am so sorry about that," Eli lowered his head. "I didn't mean to get so carried away." He met her eyes again. "But I'm not going to drop this because of my mistakes."

Mistakes? Lani noted he used the plural. She grabbed onto his shirt. "Eli, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I was wrong. Everything that happened this last year was entirely my fault. I should have believed in you...in us."

"Us…" Lani could barely breathe as she felt Eli's arms encircle her. And she let him hold her until reality crept in. She pushed away from him. "You know what Eli, if you had come here last night for the sake of nostalgia and you wanted to be with me for old times sake even though you were with Gabi, I could have understood. But that's not the case is it? You're here right now and have been hounding me for the last two days because she broke up with you right? And her breaking up with you made you realize how badly you've been treating me. You didn't realize it on your own."

Eli remained silent. It all made sense now to Lani. The image of Eli and Gabi hugged up in the square was so ingrained in her mind, it felt like she'd seen them dozens of times-and even recently. In reality, it was only a handful of times, months ago.

"Answer me!" Lani raised her voice. Her hands were balled into fists at her side, her fingers itching for her weapons back at the studio.

"Gabi and I have been broken up for awhile now," Eli said, his voice calm and steady. "We both realized we were in the relationship for all of the wrong reasons."

Lani covered her mouth and turned away from him, "How long?" she asked her voice trembled. "How long have you and Gabi been broken up."

"I don't have an exact date," Eli responded. "We quickly started to grow apart soon after we started dating, but we kept going through the motions for awhile. Then finally it was obvious there was really nothing there and never had been. It was a rebound situation for both of us."

Tears threatened to fall, but Lani turned back to face him. She had to look into his eyes when she asked the next question. "If it's been awhile since you've been broken up with Gabi, why are you telling me now?"

"I'm telling you because you asked. I would not have brought it up otherwise. I would think you knew me by now. I would not have touched you if I was committed to someone else."

Lani scoffed even as she continued to fight back the tears. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Now is not the time to bring that back up again Lani. We're way past it. Years past it at this point. We were engaged after that. We loved each other."

Lani closed her eyes. She said the same exact things to Eli when he first turned to Gabi and pushed her away. "So now you remember. But when it really mattered to me. When I really needed you more than I have ever needed anyone in my life. What did you do? You told me to move on. So that's what I did." She spread her arms out indicating her suite in the mansion. "This is me moving on and I'd say I did pretty damn good for myself considering where I came from."

"Where you came from. You're the mayor's daughter and you were a police officer for years. This is hardly a step up."

"I'm not talking about all of that. I'm talking about where I was when you first left me to be with Gabi…"

"I didn't leave you to be with Gabi," Eli interrupted her. "You and I had already broken up. I thought our relationship was destroyed permanently."

"I'll tell you this, I was destroyed and I thought it was permanent. I did not think I could make it through it. For months every day was a struggle." Lani wiped away a tear. "So you think you can just waltz in here and say to me 'Oh Lani, I made a mistake, I should have believed in us.' I agree with you there. Only it's too late now because tomorrow I'm…" Lani clamped her lips shut. She'd almost blurted out her plans to leave the country.

"Because tomorrow you're what?" Eli asked his dark eyes piercing into her.

"Because tomorrow….I'm…" Lani tried to think of a feasible lie. She still wasn't as good at lying as Kristen and Xander who always had half truths and falsehoods on the tip of their tongues. "Because you're right tomorrow I'm moving in with Xander." Lani winced at this particular lie. As handsome as Xander was, she was just not attracted to him beyond the physical. Besides she knew his heart would always belong to Sarah Horton. "I didn't want to tell you earlier because frankly it's none of your business."

"You're not moving in with Xander."

"As you pointed out to me so brutally when you left me, we're not together anymore. I can do whatever the hell I want."

Eli closed the distance between them in about two seconds until they were again standing within a hair's breadth of each other. "Lani, let me put it like this. If Xander so much as touches a hair on your head, I'll kill him."

"What?" Lani exclaimed her mouth agape.

'I think you heard me. So if you want your precious colleague, partner in crime, comrade or whatever he is to stay alive, I suggest you don't move in with him."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh no?" Eli said. He turned around and started to walk away.

Lani hurried after him grabbing on to his arm. "Where are you going?"

"To the Kiriakis mansion to let Xander know in person what I think of your future living situation."

"You can't do that," Lani insisted still holding on to his arm.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Lani said and without thinking the situation through, she launched herself into Eli's arms and began to kiss him passionately. Eli wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off of the ground. Then he put her down breaking the kiss.

"Lani, if we're going to get back on track, we have to ease back into it slowly. We need to talk about it and be sure." As he spoke Lani noticed his gaze drop from her eyes to her lips and then lower.

"You know I don't ease into anything slowly. And wasn't it you that told me talk is overrated?"

"I did say that didn't I?" Eli smiled. And her heart melted. It was so Eli to smile at a time like this. They could be deep in the throes of passion and he'd stop, look at her and smile.

Lani had not planned on kissing Eli, but now that the deed was done she wanted more. What did it matter anyway. After tonight she was leaving Salem and never coming back. The idea of leaving did not appeal to her as much as it did before she kissed him. If he was no longer with Gabi did she still have to go? Yes. Once the Paris job was complete. She'd have to move on.

She nodded. "You did. Valentines day 2019."

"The day you were supposed to give me my bracelet." Eli's hands traveled the short distance from her waist to her hips.

"I gave it to you eventually." Lani said playfully stroking the back of his neck. It felt so good to be with him again. All of the coiled tension she'd been feeling for months seemed to drain away. She never wanted the embrace to end. Lani reminded herself she was on borrowed time right now. She had to make it count.

"And why are we still talking?" She lifted her mouth to his until they were kissing again. Eli bought her even closer to him and Lani took full advantage of the position to move her hips back and forth against him. Eli groaned into her kiss. His tongue strokes went from gentle and teasing to demanding as he plundered her mouth with a growing need.

"Lani we need to stop this," Eli whispered as he moved to nibble her ear. "I don't want to stop," he continued. "But we've been down this road before being intimate before we were ready."

"Oh, I'm ready," Lani said. "I know that's not a weapon in your pocket, so you must be really, really glad to see me."

Eli burst out laughing. He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. "That's one of the things I miss about you, no one else can make me laugh at times when I shouldn't be laughing."

"And I wasn't even trying to be funny."

"I know it's just effortless with us."

"Or at least it used to be," Lani said realizing that the moment for them to make love was probably gone for now. No, not for now, forever. She moved away from him and sat on the bed. Eli followed sitting down beside her.

"We can be that way again," Eli said. "But, look at me Lani." She raised her eyes to his and felt her heart swell. Tonight was the last night she'd hear him laugh, that she'd sit next to him, that she would look into his eyes. "You need to stop what you are doing with Kristen and Xander. Especially Xander. Leave him alone. Do not move in with him. Do not go near him. It's not a matter of if he is going to hurt you. It's a matter of when. And I can tell you right now if anything happens to you because of him, I won't take it lightly."

"I am my own person Eli as you know. Nothing is going to happen to me because of Xander. I am grown and I make my own decisions. I will be fine. But I promise you, I won't move in with him."

"I can think of another time you told me you were fine and you weren't."

"I really don't want to talk about that." Lani knew Eli was referencing Baby David, but that situation was completely different than this one. With the baby she was in denial. She lied to herself and everyone else. With Xander and Kristen she knew exactly what she was doing. Tomorrow they were going to pull off a job that was hardly legal. It bothered her that they were going to steal, but she was going to do it anyway and walk away with $350,000.

Eli looked at his watch. 'I need to take off, I have to get up early in the A.M." He stood and gazed down at her.

She grabbed his hand. "Please don't go."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

Tomorrow, Lani mused. Eli had made it a point to seek her out the last two days and was now saying he wanted to see her tomorrow. He was no longer with Gabi. From every indication, he wanted to start over. What would happen if she stayed in Salem?

The answer to her question came quickly. If she didn't do her part in the job they'd been planning for weeks, she'd betray the people who accepted her into their fold when Eli had rejected her.

But he was there to apologize. He said he'd been wrong to not believe in them. And her mother had taught her to accept heartfelt apologies. She also taught her not to lie or steal. So much for all of that home training.

"Just stay a little while longer." Lani was so tired of pretending to be a person she was not. Yes, she was hurt and embittered and now deeply involved in criminal activities. But one thing remained the same. Eli. He would never leave her heart, not even when she moved halfway around the world after the Paris job.

Eli sat back down on the bed which was still covered with Lani's clothes and a few suitcases. He pulled Lani to him and kissed her forehead. "What's special about tonight?" he asked.

"Let's see, what's special about tonight?" Lani repeated the question leaning her head on his shoulder. "Well for one you and I are here together. Thankfully it's not storming like it was last night." She covered his hand with hers. "And you're telling me that you want us to be together. This makes me very happy," she admitted.

Eli entwined their fingers. "It makes me happy too."

"Stay just for a little while." Lani stood and put her suitcases on the floor and pushed the clothes aside. She held her hands out to him. Eli rose from the bed and accepted her hands.

"Of course, I'll stay if you need me too. But you know you can always come home with me."

"I need you to stay," Lani nodded but realized he could not stay all night. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep her last night in Salem anyway. She just wanted him there up until she really had to go. Maybe it was selfish not to let him know this would be their last night together. Lani pushed all thoughts aside. "I need you to hold me." She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and snuggled against him.

Later that night Lani woke up with a start sitting up in bed. Her heart was beating wildly and a sheen of perspiration covered her fully clothed body.

"You were having a nightmare," Eli said from beside her. It took a moment for Lani to remember what happened. She asked Eli to stay for a while. They'd gotten into bed and talked until she drifted off to sleep, which surprised her. She was so wound up about the Paris job, she doubted she'd sleep at all. She was just so comfortable feeling the warmth of his body against her as she rested her head on his chest. Her hand found its way under his blue top until she was stroking his chest, something she always used to do when they would lie in bed together. It was just like old times. Then she fell asleep and had a dream. Eli was in the dream. He was telling her that she was a mistake and that Gabi was his future. Her worst nightmare-and while she was in his arms no less. She took this as a sign.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said. "Thank you for staying. You can go home now."

"Not until I know you're alright. You were calling out my name in your sleep."

"It's called a dream, Eli and I'm awake now. Fully. And I still have that packing to do." She slid from the bed and retrieved the suitcases she'd put on the floor.

Eli rose from the bed. "I'm going. I can see a nap changed your attitude." He looked at his watch. "It's after 1 am, so I may not see you later on today. But I will definitely see you tomorrow." He kissed her forehead. "I promise I will see you tomorrow."

Lani watched him walk away feeling it was for the best. Eli could turn on her. He'd done it before. He could do it again. She'd rather they not get together than to suffer another shattering disappointment. First David Abraham, then Baby David followed by Eli. She could not survive another loss. If they were together in Salem he'd find out all she'd done for the DiMeras and then despise her. She'd be worried all of the time that he would run back to Gabi. No, leaving for Paris and never coming back was the right thing to do. She went to the dresser to take out more clothes and forced herself to think about Paris.


	7. Chapter 7

Although Lani Price had been president of her French Club in high school, she didn't keep up with the language after graduating. Still she loved practicing her french the handful of times she'd been to Paris. On this visit when she tried to speak her tongue felt slow and rusty. She made a mental note to begin studying her french again when she moved to South African to be with Theo. Her bad French didn't matter much anyway, since Xander-who spoke English, French and Italian fluently-did most of the talking. Lani watched Xander as he flirted with the girl at the front desk of the hotel where they would be staying.

The locale was a tourist's dream, close to the Eiffel Tower and a stone's throw from _Champs-Élysées_. Only they were not in the famed City of Lights to enjoy the sights. They had a job to do. Per their plan Kristen was booking a room at another hotel and would not be joining them again until that evening when the job was scheduled to go down. Adrenaline rushed through Lani's veins at the thought of pocketing the money that would set her up for a brand new life. Eli's face flashed through her mind and she promptly focused her attention on Xander who was walking toward her.

"So?" Lani said expectantly. She took her room card from Xander and they made their way to the elevators.

"She's most definitely up for it," Xander said glancing back at the young woman who waved at him, his grey eyes twinkled in amusement.

Lani sighed. The man was always on the make, no matter the circumstances. "Good for you, what about access to the rooms?"

"She knows a guy who knows a guy, but these are delicate matters that can't be rushed. I'm taking her to lunch in an hour. I'm sure we'll have all of the information. Definitely before tonight."

"Just make sure you stay focused," Lani admonished.

"And you're one to talk," Xander returned. "Kristen doesn't realize it, but I'm well aware you spent the last two nights sleeping with the enemy."

The elevator arrived and they both stepped on. Lani pushed the button for the appropriate floor."Despite your best efforts to get me into bed," She looked Xander up and down dismissively. "I have been sleeping alone for months. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I could be mistaken, but I could have sworn I saw the plonker you used to shag before Gabi threw a spanner in the works coming out of your room two nights in a row."

Lani realized there wasn't much use in lying. "So Eli came to visit me a few times. No big deal."

"So you want to make me believe Detective Grant wasn't on the pull, then?"

"On the pull? Seriously?" Lani rolled her eyes. "No Eli wasn't on the pull…"

"The bloke must've wanted something from you. Makes sense wouldn't you say. He's got Gabi after all and she's no slouch at least in the looks department."

"Not that I need to explain my actions or Eli's to you but he and Gabi are broken up and have been broken up for awhile." They stepped off the elevator together. Lani looked up and down the hall to see which way the numbers were going. She turned right dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her.

"Is that what he told you?" Xander fell into step beside her. "That he and Gabi broke up?"

"Yes, that's what he told me," Lani said.

Xander reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. "Trust me, I know how the game is played as I played it a few times myself. So I figured he told you he and Gabi weren't together. But me being the suspicious sort wondered what he was about so I followed him the night it stormed. And I can assure you he and Gabi are very much so still together."

Lani felt her heart practically drop to the floor. "You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"I figured that's exactly what you would say, so I made sure I gathered the evidence to make an airtight case." Xander scrolled through his phone for a few seconds before turning the screen to face Lani. Her heart catapulted from the floor up to her throat as she took in images of Eli and Gabi canoodling, she grabbed the phone and scrolled, then scrolled some more. Xander had taken more than a dozen pictures. Gabi and Eli were hugging, kissing, laughing, holding hands.

"I know it must hurt to find out that the man you love has been lying to you, but is that airtight enough for you, love?" Xander said, his voice filled with false concern. "Every last picture is time stamped. Sorry to be the bearer of such bloody rotten news, but the proof is in the pudding."

Lani took a deep cleansing breath. So what Eli had lied to her and was still 'canoodling' with Gabi right after leaving her room at the DiMera mansion. Besides on the night in question that's what she assumed he was doing anyway. It was not until the second night he came to her room did he explain that he and Gabi had broken up. But why did he lie? The question gnawed at her so much her stomach began to hurt. She knew they couldn't be together anyway, so why bother to get upset about it? Lani shrugged her shoulders and tossed the phone back to Xander. "They're together, so what? Why do you care."

"Because I know you care, love. And we are partners afterall, aren't we? You, me and Kristen. Unless you've ratted us out to your two timing lover."

Lani's mind was still reeling. She shouldn't have looked at so many of the pictures of Eli and Gabi. She already had enough images embedded in her mind from seeing them together with her own eyes. She didn't need pictures on top of that. Even though her mind was in a muddle, she realized that Xander was accusing her of revealing their plan to Eli.

"Of course I didn't tell Eli. Why would I be here if I did?" Lani crossed her arms and waited for Xander to answer.

"You could be working with him."

"Working with him to do what? He is a detective with the Salem PD and has no jurisdiction in France. I didn't tell Eli a thing not even that I was leaving town. He doesn't have a clue."

Xander stared at her for a long moment. She could practically see all of the assessments and calculations going on behind his steel grey eyes. "I believe you," he finally said and was back to being the fun loving Xander again. "I didn't think the bloke knew anything anyway," he said. "I showed you those pictures because I wanted to-as you Americans say-blow up his spot. "

Lani didn't respond. She stared at Xander, her mouth twisted in a smirk. But inside she was furious. How could Eli blatantly lie to her like that?

"Anyway I'm pretty knackered," Xander said with a yawn. "Think I'll catch a brief kip before I get the rest of the information we need for tonight. I'll give you a bell later." With that he walked further down the hall to his room leaving Lani in the hallway. She was so angry, she had half a mind to catch the next plane back to the US for the express purpose of going to the martial arts studio to get her weapons, so she could teach Eli a lesson he would never forget.

Lani opened the door to her room, went inside and paced back and forth for a good twenty minutes until she had convinced herself not to immediately head back to Salem to confront Eli's lying, cheating ass. "It doesn't matter...It does NOT matter...it doesn't matter…" She repeated over and over again. She also fought the urge to trash her hotel room ala Kristen DiMera, but she'd gotten her fill of vandalism when she broke the window to Gabi Chic after Gabi and Eli first became an item. One of her crimes Eli knew nothing about. "See right there," she said to herself. "Eli may be two timing creep, but I'm a newly minted criminal, so we're even. I'll just let it go."

"No, no, because as Xander always reminds us, there is honor even among thieves," Lani said to the empty room. She found her phone in her bag and scrolled through the contacts for Eli's number. Her mind would not rest until she had some answers. But what questions would she ask? She had left him after all, and had no plans to ever go back to Salem. So he was now free to canoodle with Gabi 24 hours a day, not just after leaving her room, after holding her, after whispering words of comfort in her ear, after telling her that they would be together from now on...Every word Eli said to her over those two days came back. That stormy night when he first appeared, their little sparing match at the martial arts studio that ended with them half undressed. It all flashed through her mind.

No, she wouldn't go back and confront him with her weapons, she wouldn't call to demand answers. She'd write him a letter instead. She sat down at her computer, signed on to the hotel's wi fi connection and started to draft an email. She wrote an angry seething diatribe, only to delete it. Then she wrote another that was worse than the one before. Okay, email is not the way to go besides what did it matter anyway. She closed the laptop and stood. Even though she didn't send the emails, oddly just venting her feelings made her feel a little bit better. At least now she could think without literally seeing red.

And one question nagged at her.

Why did Eli pick now of all times to come back into her life, right before the Paris job? Suddenly even through her hurt feelings she began to piece things together. And Xander's suspicions now made sense. She went directly to Xander's room and banged on the door. "Xander open up it's important."

After a minute, a shirtless, groggy Xander opened the door. "I thought I told you I was off to Bedfordshire. For you artless Americans that means I was going to catch 40 bloody winks."

"Actually you said you were knackered and needed a brief kip. All of which I understood perfectly." Lani walked past him and into his hotel room. "You'll have to sleep after the job tonight is done. I think we may have a problem. If so, we'll have to go with plan B."

"Which is conveniently how you wanted to do the job in the first place." Xander's eyes narrowed into a scowl.

"Look If I'm wrong then we do it your way," Lani said. "In any case we have to be prepared for anything."


	8. Chapter 8

Lani Price gazed in the mirror admiring her reflection. Her long hair was pinned under in a mock bobb. Her dress was sparkly with fringes all over, and plunged in the front and back. It featured spaghetti straps, hugged like a second skin and fell just below the knee. She looked like she stepped right out of a 1940s film noir. "All I need is a flower and I could be Madame Billie Holiday," she said to herself, fixing the bright red lipstick she'd applied a few minutes ago. Smokey eyes finished the look. Yes, she was a diva.

"April in Paris," Lani began to sing as she grabbed her bag and opened the door to find Xander standing there looking handsome as the devil in black tux. She continued to sing as she took his arm and they walked together down the hall. "April in Paris/ I never knew the charm of spring/ I never met it face to face/ I never knew my heart could sing/I never missed a warm embrace…"

"I didn't know you could sing," Xander said as he pushed the button to the elevator. _April in Paris_. Haven't heard that number in awhile. I take it Billie Holiday is your muse for this evening," his eyes ran over her form appreciatively. The elevator doors opened right away and they stepped inside.

"How did you guess Billy Holiday?" Lani queried. "So many others covered _April in Paris_."

"I knew it couldn't be Frank Sinatra or Benny Goodman."

"What Xander you surprise me. I wouldn't have taken you as a jazz fan."

They stepped off of the elevator at the ground floor and immediately encountered a woman selling flowers. "There's quite a bit about me you don't know," Xander said as he stopped the woman and purchased two purple gardenias. He turned to Lani "Hold on a sec," he said and placed one of the flowers in her hair. "Perfect," he took a step back to look at her. Then he placed the other flower in his lapel. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm again and then they entered a ballroom where hundreds of well dressed people were dancing, milling around or talking in small circles.

From out of the crowd emerged Kristen DiMera wearing a red off the shoulder evening gown. Her hair was rolled in a chignon at the nape of her neck. "Don't you both look nice," she said and took a drink out of the champaign flute she was holding. "And Lani this is ginger ale, so don't nag me about drinking on the job."

"I wasn't going to say a word," Lani responded and looked around. "Any sightings yet?"

"Our friends, yes. Enemies, no." Kristen said and nodded to a man who looked remarkably like Brady Black as he walked by. "We still have some time, so if you'll pardon me." She left trailing behind the Brady lookalike.

"We do have a bit of time," Xander said and gave a half bow in Lani's direction. "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" Just then the orchestra struck up a waltz.

"Do you think we really should?" Lani said, trying to catch sight of Kristen in the crowd. "We're here to do a job, not dance."

"What's the matter? Don't know how to waltz?" Xander teased, a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Are you kidding me. I can waltz, tango, fox trot and mambo," Lani sashayed her hips seductively.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Xander grabbed Lani around the waist and whisked her to the center of the ballroom floor.

Xander and Lani danced the waltz several times and stayed when the music changed to a salsa. Lani was not surprised to discover that Xander was a fantastic dancer. He was light on his feet and knew how to lead. At one point he spun her around and dipped her back and while upside down Lani caught a glimpse of exactly what she'd been looking for all night. He was wearing white tux with black trimming. His back was to her, but she'd recognize him anywhere. He disappeared as soon as she spotted him. When Xander lifted her to a standing position she said, "Enemy spotted, 4 o'clock, white tux."

"Well, then you know what you've got to do then," Xander said. They left the dance floor arm in arm then once they were clear of the thickest part of the crowd, they walked in opposite directions. Lani knew Xander was off to find Kristen, while the white tux was her target. The fun part of the night was about to begin.

Lani weaved in and out of the crowd until she finally found the white tux at the bar. There was a glass in front of him and the bartender was filling it with sparkling water. She sidled up next to him and said in his ear, "When you said you'd see me later, I didn't think you were going to follow me all the way Paris. Is there no one else to cheat on your girlfriend with in Salem?"

Eli Grant turned to her, cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Who says I'm here to see you?"

"Oh, I don't know, just an educated guess," she said, examining him from head to toe. "You clean up very nice."

"You're not doing too bad yourself."

Lani smirked at his compliment and glanced at his glass of sparkling water on the bar. She sat on a stool next to him and put her bag beside his drink. Eli was no fool, also whomever he was working with-most likely John Black and his son Paul-were lurking around as well. But somehow she had to get the knockout drops in her bag into Eli's drink and then lure him up to her room so he could not interfere with what was about to go down.

"What are you doing here Eli?"

"This is an international event with dignitaries from all over the world, many of them wearing their crown jewels. Like that woman there," he pointed to an attractive middle-aged woman with grey streaks in her hair. "She's the princess from the Republic of Frov Skanaand and that bling around her neck is hardly costume jewelry. They need all of the security they can get."

Lani's heart skipped a beat when Eli pointed out the Princess of Frov Skanaand, and she knew it could not be a coincidence. Even as her heart beat rapidly she schooled her features to make sure she did not reveal a thing. She casually glanced over at the princess and back at Eli as if disinterested, when the truth was she'd been researching the princess for months and knew every detail about her itinerary for the evening including the dress and the jewels she was going to wear. And so far Xander's sources had been correct about everything. The princess was one of the "friends" Kristen referred to when Lani and Xander first entered the ballroom.

Lani had already factored in security provided by Frov Skanaand and the hotel itself, but had not counted on Eli, that is until earlier that day when she figured out his promise to see her soon meant he would see her in Paris. Now they were ready for him. Eli had his eye on the princess and so did Lani and her crew. "John hired you as extra eyes for the ISA," Lani asked. She was trying to keep Eli talking so he would forget about his drink for awhile.

"And you're here with Xander because…"

"Don't answer a question with a question," Lani said and signaled the bartender. "I'll have what he's having." Her best bet was to put the knockout pills in her drink and then figure out how to switch the glasses before Eli was the wiser. There were four other targets aside from the Frov Skanaand princess, and most likely Paul and John had them covered. The bartender sat Lani's drink in front of her.

Xander was so confident in their plan he didn't feel the least bit threatened by the prospect of Eli, John and Paul being there. But Lani knew better than to underestimate Eli Grant. She told Xander she would take care of him personally, which she had every intention of doing. Not only was he trying to set her up along with Xander and Kristen. He had tried to make her his side piece to boot. No, she was not going to let him get away with any of that.

"If you had a problem with my dancing with Xander you could have always cut in," Lani said leaning in close to Eli, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

"I didn't say I had a problem with you dancing with Xander. I asked why you're here in Paris with him."

"You don't seem all that surprised."

"I'm thinking about the last time we talked. You said you were leaving the mansion. And so you did."

"And you promised you'd see me today and here we are in Paris at the same place at the same time." If the situation were not so dire, if so much money not to mention her freedom were not on the line, Lani would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She and Eli trying to find out what the other one was up to, and doing a piss poor job at it, because -and speaking for herself-she had to admit her attraction to him was getting in the way. She wondered if Eli felt the same as his interrogation skills were far superior to what he was displaying right now.

"And you were dancing with a jewel thief in a ballroom that's overflowing with jewels."

"Is that a crime?" Lani asked. "And make that former jewel thief. Xander has moved on to bigger and better things."

"So you're saying the Princess of Frov Skanaand and her jewels are safe?"

"Safe as can be. If any jewels are stolen tonight it won't be Xander doing the stealing." Lani loved being able to tell the truth and lie at the same time.

Just then the orchestra struck up a tango. Eli stood and drained his glass. "Good, I have nothing to worry about then, and it's been a long time since we danced." He held out his hand to her. Without hesitation, Lani accepted it and slid from the bar stool right into Eli's warm embrace.

There were two things Lani could never resist. One was a tango. And the other was Eli Grant. Right now she wanted to dance the tango with him more than she wanted to render him unconscious per the plan. Besides, another plan began to quickly form as she stared into his dark soulful eyes.

Eli moved her across the floor and together they seemed to glide until they were in the center of the ballroom. Lani knew Eli could dance, but this would be their first tango together. They danced freestyle at clubs, parties and in his room, but there were very few occasions for ballroom dancing in Salem.

"So where did you learn to tango," Lani asked as she circled around him clapping her hands, more flamenco than tango. But she wasn't a purist when it came to dance. When she was in front of him again, Eli pulled her into the softest tango embrace and Lani felt herself reading way too much into it. He lead so well they did not bump into anyone else as he guided them along a counterclockwise path around the crowded dance floor. Dancing with Eli, Lani could not help but to feel intrinsically connected to him. Their bond was so real and natural.

"I went deep undercover once for a year and I had to learn ballroom dance for the role I was playing." Eli explained.

"What role was that?"

"A very, very expensive gun for hire who frequented places like this for clients."

"You never told me about that assignment."

"That's the point of being undercover, you don't tell anyone."

"But if the case is over."

"It's not exactly. One day I may have to reprise my role again."

Lani didn't like the idea of Eli going under deep cover. First of all it sounded way too dangerous. On top of that it meant he wouldn't be able to contact her at all while on the assignment. Then she reminded herself. Once the Paris job was over she'd never see him again anyway.

She pushed all of those thoughts away and focused on the music and their dance. One of the things Lani loved about the tango is that it's essentially stylized "walking" but the lead has to know what he is doing so no toes get stepped on. Eli knew what he was doing, even opening his embrace a few times to allow her to have some fun with spins and turns. Eli danced the same way he fought in the martial arts. He was all power and control, whereas she was creative-a risk taker, an artist. After he gave her some leeway to be creative, he'd always draw her back to him. When they were together as a couple in Salem, was that not their dynamic as well? They'd part and come back together again. Was it at all possible for them to reunite one last time?

No! Lani chastised herself. He was with Gabi.

And she was on a job. The job was the reason she was in Paris. Not to tango with Eli. Despite how heavenly it felt to be in his arms, with romantic music playing in a beautiful ballroom in the City of Love, Lani knew she had to make her move and soon. Just as she turned her head to say something in Eli's ear, all of the lights went out. The entire room went dark. Then a woman screamed. And Lani realized she was too late.


	9. Chapter 9

"My jewels!" a woman screamed. "They're gone"

Within a few seconds hundreds of cellphone flashlights came on and the room resembled a rock concert as the orchestra continued to play. Lani realized she'd been so swept away by the dance with Eli she left her purse at the bar. Eli reached into his jacket for his phone. Security officers were trying to keep the crowd calm as people tried to find loved ones, demand answers and leave the room. It was chaos as people scurried to and fro. Lani could hear half a dozen languages just within earshot and none of them English. She started to make her way back to the bar until Eli reached out for her arm to stop her.

"Stay with me until we know what's going on," he instructed.

Lani didn't protest lest she raise suspicion. Then precisely five minutes from when the lights went out, they were back on. Every single crystal chandelier was once again shining to full capacity. Another woman screamed that her jewels were missing. Then another and another. The last of which was the Princess of Frov Skanaand. More chaos ensued as guests and security personnel rushed around the room.

Eli turned to look at Lani. His eyes spit fire at her and his mouth formed a tight line. He grabbed her by the wrist. "Where the hell is Xander?"

Lani tried to snatch her hand away, but he had her in a vice like grip. "How should I know? I was dancing with you."

Eli pulled her in close to him as if he was comforting her during the catastrophe. The tango continued to play in the background. "You told me," he said in her ear, "That Xander was not going to steal any jewels tonight. You lied to me."

"Why do you think Xander did it? I don't even see him in the room," Lani said. She didn't have to glance around. She knew exactly where Kristen and Xander were and they weren't in the ballroom. That is if everything was going according to plan. Plan B that is. With Plan A she would not have been in the room either. Eli had thrown a monkey wrench in all of that. "It could have been anyone here. The guards aren't letting anyone in or out of the room."

"He could have slipped out before anyone was aware that five dignitaries had been robbed."

"How do you know it was five?" Lani cast a skeptical look at Eli. Several women screamed that their jewels were stolen but only two of them including the Princess of Frov Skannarnd. were within sight. The princess was sitting in a chair and someone was fanning her as she clutched at her throat where her jewels used to be.

"Listen Lani if you Kristen and Xander are involved in this...My god, Lani do you know what the penalty would be?" He kept his voice low. There was so much commotion that no one was paying attention to them anyway. Lani noted he continued to accuse but didn't answer her question. How did Eli know that five royal women had been robbed Lani wondered. Then according to the next step in Plan B, the lights went out again.

The cell phone flashlights all came out in response like last time, but unlike last time when everyone was bewildered and anxious, this time people were angry. A German man walked by and Lani could tell he was cursing, simply by the inflection of his voice although she did not understand a word. "What the hell is this? " Eli said, but she could tell he was not talking to her but commenting on the situation that was playing out. He still held on to her arm.

"Eli, I need to go back to the bar. I left my bag over there."

"Alright," he said and they began to make their way through the darkened room. The cell phones helped, but the ballroom was gigantic and needed dozens of chandeliers to light it properly.

"If this is like the last one, the lights were out for five minutes. So they should come back on in 40 seconds," Eli said. They were still trying to navigate the churning crowd of confused people. At the exact time Eli predicted, the lights came back on.

There were more screams. "But these aren't mine," they heard a woman declare loudly.

"Let's go find out what the hell is going on," Eli said as he spotted Lani's bag on the bar and picked it up.

"Why don't you go. I'll stay here. You can fill me in later."

"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you out of my sight for multiple reasons. One of which I think your partners are behind this," Eli said close to her ear.

"And what's the other reason."

"You'll find out later on tonight."

"What's happening tonight?"

Eli didn't answer as they pressed through the crowd trying to find a security guard for the hotel who spoke some English. One guard was speaking in French to about two dozen people who circled around him hurling questions.

"I understand more French, than I can speak," Lani said. "The guard is saying that all of the jewels have been returned."

"Is that truly what he's saying or is that what you already know?" Eli's voice was skeptical. "Stealing jewels only to return them five minutes later? What's the deal?"

"How should I know. But I'd say it's a happy ending."

Eli continued to search until they found someone who was instructing the crowd in English. The stolen jewels had all been returned, but not to the original wearers. Those who found themselves wearing the jewels when the lights came on were now being questioned. Also the jewels were being authenticated. Three had passed inspection, with two to go.

"So I guess this was like some kind of hoax or practical joke," Eli mused.

"Or something," Lani said patting his chest. "Now you can sleep tonight knowing that no crimes were committed on your watch. So if you will excuse me, all of this lights on-lights off business has me tuckered out. As soon as they let us out of here, I'm going up to my room to call it a night."

"It looks like it might be awhile."

* * *

Two hours later Lani and Eli were still in the ballroom sitting on the floor against a wall near the orchestra. The conductor was now taking requests and the musicians were covering a Lady Gaga song, completely via improvisation. Lani's feet were curled under her as she leaned on Eli's shoulder. He'd covered her with his jacket when she complained of being cold when they first sat down. Eli was correct in assuming it was going to be a long wait. The Paris Police Prefecture was handling the questioning of each and every guest that was in the ballroom that night when the jewels were stolen and then returned. And there were over 1000 guests!

Lani couldn't remember the last time she felt so at peace. "I'm so comfortable, I could go to sleep right now. You can wake me up when it's our turn to be questioned." She was speaking the truth. Eli always made her feel so comforted, so protected. There was no doubt that Lani Price was a strong woman, still knowing Eli had her back was reassuring. Even if was only for tonight, even if she was never going to see him again, even if she knew there was nor had there ever been any danger in the ballroom that night. Well, none emanating from the jewelry theft and return that is.

"Ah, sleepyhead," Eli ran his knuckles softly along her jawline. "How many times were you supposed to wait up for me. I'd come home eager to spend time with you and you'd be under the covers snoring away."

"Hey, I don't snore." Lani slapped his arm. "And I'd always wake up for you. Those were just power naps. I had to recharge and power up for," she paused," our nighttime activities."

"Sleeping or awake, I used to love coming home to find you there."

Once more his words went straight to her traitorous heart and Lani's mind drifted back to the day Eli gave her the key to his room.

_Lani went to the gym for a very quick workout, showered and then went to his place. She should have skipped the gym because she was completely wiped out by the time she entered his room and plopped down on the bed. Earlier that evening she promised him she would stay awake and wait for him, but the comforter felt so soft and inviting. A quick nap won't hurt anything she thought and stripped down to bra and panties. She looked through Eli's drawers and found a t-shirt and slipped it on then dove happily between the covers. Eli had a nice king sized bed to compliment his king sized body. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. _

_Sometime later she vaguely heard a key in the door followed by Eli quietly moving around the room. On some level even as she slept she was aware of what he was doing. Turning on a lamp. Removing the loose change, keys and phone from his pockets and laying them on the dresser. Going into the bathroom to run a shower and then eventually joining her in the bed, wearing only pajama pants and smelling as fresh as rain water in the springtime. He spooned behind her. _

"_Mmmmm," she said drowsily, stroking the arm he wrapped around her midsection. "How did you get in if I have your key?"_

"_I had a key made for you," he whispered in her ear. "Go back to sleep. You looked really tired."_

_Lani was now wide awake. She rolled over to face him. "You had the key made for me? Are you saying I have my own key to your place? Already?"_

"_What's wrong can't I trust you not to lose it?"_

"_Of course I'm not going lose it," Lani pinched a chunk of his chiseled midsection in retaliation for the comment. "But you don't have to do that, give me a key to your place. It's an invitation for me to come and go as I please. Are you sure you're okay with that?"_

"_Well, you've already made yourself quite at home. Isn't this my t-shirt?"_

"_Yeah," Lani replied sheepishly. "I know I said I wasn't going to fall asleep," she kissed him softly on the lips, "but your bed was just calling to me. I couldn't resist."_

_Eli smiled. "I knew you were going to be asleep by the time I got here. I was just messing with you back at the station."_

"_You sure you don't mind," Lani stifled a yawn._

"_Not at all. My place is closer to the station than your apartment. So you can come here if you want to catch a nap during lunch break. And you can stay here any time you don't feel like driving all of the way home."_

"_You may not want to say all of that. The next thing you know you'll have a new roommate. Your place is far more conveniently located than mine."_

"_Mi casa es su casa." Eli pulled her into his arms and she slept that night with her head resting on his chest feeling so safe, loved and secure._

* * *

"Mi casa es su casa," Lani mumbled to herself as her mind drifted back to the present knowing without a doubt he'd said the same thing to Gabi Hernendez.

"What's that?" Eli looked down at her.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of something," she said and sat up creating a distance between them. She wanted to be immune to him, but she couldn't help but to be drawn in. "It's not like you don't have someone else keeping the home fires burning," Lani said peevishly crossing her arms as his white tuxedo jacket draped over her.

They fell silent for awhile and Lani just watched the orchestra play. A shapely woman wearing a long white gown ascended the stage and said something to the conductor. He nodded and went over to speak to the pianist and the musicians in the percussion section before returning to the small platform where he'd been standing for hours. He lifted his baton and the musicians began to play. Meanwhile someone had gotten a microphone for the woman in white. She "hmmmed" and "ahhhed" into the mic a few times and Lani knew she was warming up her voice.

"Do you know who that is?" Eli asked flabbergasted. He was also watching what was happening on the stage.

Lani recognized the song that the musicians were playing. It was "At Last," originated by Etta James, but which had been covered by dozens of artists "No, who is she?"

The woman began to sing in a raspy soulful full bodied voice: "At last my love has come along…"

Eli stood and extended his hand to Lani lifting her to her feet. His jacket fell from her shoulders as he raised her arm and slowly turned her before pulling her into his arms. "That is Sola Day up there on stage," he said. "We'll never have another opportunity like this. To dance to Sola Day singing live."

"What? You're kidding me." Lani turned her head to look at the woman again. She had dark brown skin and an afro framed her round pretty face. Lani hadn't recognized her at first, but the vocals were unmistakable. Sola Day was a famous Nigerian jazz singer who was now taking the US by storm with several hits on the pop charts.

Unlike their tango, which was fast paced and thrilling, Eli was now leading her in a sensual, hypnotic slow drag. Not a traditional blues slow drag where you held your partner close and stepped with one foot and then drug the other so that you were still traveling incrementally around the dance floor. Other than their hips, swaying in time to the music, Eli and Lani barely moved. This was like a crowded rent party slow drag that her mother used to tell her about. In the 1970s Tamara said she'd sing at rent parties where they would pack so many people in tiny apartments, there was no room to do anything else but slow drag. Lani's arms were wrapped around Eli's neck, while his hands were dangerously low at the base of her spine.

Sola continued to sing: "I found a dream that I could speak to/A dream that I can call my own/I found a thrill to press my cheek to/A thrill that I have never known."

Lani looked up at Eli and he smiled right on cue as Sola sang: "You smiled, you smiled/oh and then the spell was cast." then he spoke the words to the song into Lani's ear as Sola sang with the orchestra, "And here we are in Heaven/For you are mine at last…"

This is heaven Lani mused. Trapped in a Paris ballroom dirty dancing with Eli while Sola Day crooned in the background.

"I have to teach you how to slow drag, properly," Lani said even as she was thoroughly enjoying their slow grind, following the direction of Eli's hips, even taking over to add a few gyrations of her own which were quite erotic, just a notch short of foreplay.

The song ended and the dwindling crowd which was still quite large gave Sola several rounds of applause. She said something in French, which Lani didn't understand, then exited the stage. Lani backed away from Eli and returned to where they left his jacket and her purse. Her entire body tingled all over.

"Thanks for the dance," she said and gracefully sat down again.


End file.
